Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The following countries align themselves with this statement: North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Albania*, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Iceland+, Norway+, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.

We would like to thank the IAEA Director General as well as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States for their updates.

We take note of their statements that maintaining the integrity of the nuclear non-proliferation regime remains a core objective and that the parties are mindful of any safeguards-related precedents in the context of Australia’s acquisition of nuclear powered submarines. We welcome the stated commitments by Australia, the UK and the USA to a high standard of international assurances and fulfilling their respective Agency obligations. We also support the Director General’s statement in this connection that, while working with the interested parties on this complex, technical matter, he will be “solely guided by the Agency’s statutory mandate and Australia’s safeguards agreement”. The EU trusts the independent, impartial and professional work of the IAEA Secretariat also on this matter and that the IAEA Director General will ensure a transparent process.

The IAEA safeguards system is an indispensable component of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The EU strongly supports the IAEA’s verification role under the NPT and the strengthening of the IAEA’s safeguards system. We continue to call for the universalisation of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements together with the Additional Protocol as the current verification standard, and we encourage all States to support this objective at the upcoming NPT Review Conference. The EU is of the view that the objectives of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime are best served by the IAEA through the full, impartial, independent and objective implementation of safeguards. It is important that full consideration be given to any proliferation implications and risks.

We understand that a specific task force has been set up in the IAEA Secretariat to give consideration to the application of relevant provisions of the safeguards agreements of the parties to this matter. Close cooperation between the Secretariat and the concerned parties remains essential and is strongly encouraged. Any arrangement must be implemented in conformity with and in a way that will not compromise the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and the respective legally binding safeguards obligations.

We count on the IAEA Director General to keep the Board informed of all aspects relevant for the IAEA’s mandate, in particular.of the work of the AUKUS task force as it develops. We do not consider it necessary or timely to have a standing item on AUKUS on the Board agenda. We are also not in favour of establishing parallel structures to the already existing task force.

Thank you, Chair.

* Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania as well as potential Candidate Country Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

+ Iceland and Norway are members of the EFTA and of the European Economic Area.